Uveal Melanoma is a rare disease mostly found among the Caucasian population, uveal melanoma is still one of the most common primary tumors in adults. These tumors can be located in the iris, ciliary body, or choroid. The principal vulnerabilities or factors that contribute to this rare disease include fair skin, light eye color, and even the inability to tan.
Although cancer may start in the eye, it may spread to other areas of the patient’s body. However, understanding why it spreads may not yield a plausible solution, but rather, how such a disease spreads and where such cancer may affect. So, ensure that such a patient correctly navigates through the disease.
How Does Cancer Spread?
The lymphatic system hosts some types of cancers. This system usually functions as one that lifts and removes waste products. This system also drains cells and tissues from any form of abnormal cells. However, most of these cancers travel through the lymphatic vessels. However, this is not the case with uveal melanoma, as it travels through the bloodstream.
With uveal melanoma, the cancer cells end up in the blood, arriving at other parts and organs of the body, predominantly the liver. One primary reason may be the large volume of blood in the liver, which only rivals blood flow to the liver to the lungs. Uveal melanoma travel to other places, including the bones, skin, lymphatic nodes, and brain.
What Affects the Spread of Uveal Melanoma?
Various factors affect the spread and growth of uveal melanoma. These include the size of the patient’s tumor, the location of the tumor, as well as the genetic profile.
- Tumor size of the uveal melanoma: Determining the growth and size of the tumor will go a long way in ascertaining the progress of cancer.
One risk that is associated with the spread of the cancer is the gradual increase of the tumor.
- The location of the such tumor: For instance, if cancer occurs mainly around the eyes, it is bound to spread more quickly, either by the movement of the muscle in the ciliary body or even when the patient tries to focus his vision on a particular thing.
- Genetic Profile: Finally, certain mutations in some specific genes can affect the progression of this disease.
In conclusion, Uveal Melanoma flows through the bloodstream to affect every other place, mainly the liver, due to the large volume of blood in there.
